Molly Kettelhut of Rockford teaches 7th grade English Language Arts and Social Studies at Galapagos Rockford Charter School. She’s taught the past 5 of her 7 years of teaching here. At Galapagos, all families must attend quarterly report card conferences to get report cards. Often, the conference date does not work for everyone to attend, so Molly will schedule conferences after school, on her planning periods and has even gone to homes to make sure “grade reports are received and all concerns and celebrations are communicated face-to-face with families.” She says she communicates in many ways “to remind families that we are a team with a similar goal: finding success for their child.” She and her students’ families have even continued to share successes, concerns and advice long after they leave her class. “The support that I provide to my scholars is lifelong, not just for one year.” Clearly, she means this, as one of her nominations came from a student she taught in both 5th and 7th grades. The student wrote that she “gave me the courage and the mindset to try my hardest and to push and achieve my goal.” This student’s goal is to attend college and become a lawyer. She was nervous about leaving Galapagos and Molly, but when she shared her concerns, Molly told her that she would continue to support her and help with anything she needed in high school. “She made me believe in myself and have confidence in the person I am and come to be. I never knew another human being can have a huge impact on me as a person and encourage me as much as she does. I’m in high school and this lady still has an impact on me. I get all A’s and I believe it’s because of her, because I got all bad grades until her 5th grade classroom.” The parent of one of Molly’s students shared that Molly had “sparked a love for reading and history that my daughter had never experienced before. She created authentic lessons that encouraged scholars to think and explore topics that interested them.” An observer of Molly’s classroom appreciated that she “did not let students fail.” She added, “I would want this teacher for myself or my children”!